Two creatures skidded around the corner, long fingers and toes scrabbling on the polished hallway floor. They failed to react in time when Li Mei, crouched behind the wall, stabbed forward with the pointed end of her metal staff and skewered them both in one forceful thrust. The staff went through the mouth of one and erupted from the back of its skull to pierce the chest of the other, the first dying instantly and the second screaming in pain as its life drained away.

Li Mei shuddered at the horrific sounds, her grip slipping as she tried to pull the staff away from its two victims. It was easier to stab than retrieve, and the weapon seemed determined to remain firmly entrenched in the creature's bodies, wasting a precious few seconds of time.

Rows of sharp teeth bit deep into her shoulder, shredding flesh and eliciting a series of colorfully creative swears from Li Mei's mouth. The third creature clung with sharp fingers digging into her back and toes scratching at her hips. Grunting in pain, Li Mei created a barrier and flung herself backwards into it while simultaneously pulling a dagger from storage to stab into the creature's face. She managed to gouge one of its oversized eyes, covering her hand in a disgusting mix of blood and sticky green viscera.

Unlike the staff which turned the other two into a macabre kebab, the dagger was much more easily removed. Li Mei yanked it out of the third creature's skull and spun on her heel, the creature slumping to the ground while shrieking in agony. She stabbed it again and again until its long limbs stopped twitching, and only then did she spare a moment to Scan it.

-----

[Young Rake (Modified)]

Male

Rank 0 (62%)

An odd creature occasionally found in alpine forests that survives by scavenging corpses. Generally passive unless provoked - despite their unsettling appearance and diet. These specific Rakes have been subjected to cruel experiments and modifications, both genetic and magic, that made them aggressive.

Core Location: Abdomen

-----

She glanced toward the corner of her vision, where a small square kept an unobtrusive log of recent EXP gains. That explained the pitiful numbers - the Rakes were lower Rank than she was!

"Got my ass kicked by some weak little nightmare fuel... Great. I only got a little cocky before, does the universe really need to keep hitting me while I'm already down? Am I just supposed to sneak around everywhere always like a stealthy little mouse or else get my own head handed to me on a silver platter?!"

Li Mei grumbled vehemently, digging miniscule 10c Cores from the Rake's bodies with a dagger. They weren't worth much, but she could absorb them in an emergency to cast a quick barrier at least.

Thinking for a moment, she surrounded herself with barriers so she could safely apply medication to her many bleeding wounds. She complained through clenched teeth to keep from focusing on the pain, occasionally interrupting herself with a series of swears.

"Is arrogance a sin in this universe, is that it? Something a god or cosmic entity deems worthy of punishing me over, or are they specifically picking on me? Don't they have anything better to do with their time?!

"Meddling Intern, if this is your fault I'm gonna slap you so hard someday! Getting knocked every which way when I try fighting head-on and only having decent victories when I'm sneaky, are you trying to say I have some sort of shady destiny?!"

-----

[Skillset]

★★★★★

Everyone has their own specialties and unique inborn talents. There's nothing wrong with embracing yours! But it's also important to make sure you don't have any glaring weaknesses. Versatility is key to survival.

Being a well-rounded and adaptable individual suits a clever, cunning girl like you. Set yourself up with a strong foundation for your future path, and acknowledge your own strengths. Only by understanding yourself can you move forward. Complete the following tasks:

- Raise all base stats to 10

- Learn Throw Lv.1

- Raise Sense to Lv.4

- Defeat 10 enemies with traps

- Defeat 10 enemies through ambush

Hint: Practice and repetition is the best way to unlock new Skills or level up old ones!

Reward: 2500000 EXP, Storage Lv.2 Upgrade, Acrobat Trait

-----

"Okay, you're definitely listening, and definitely messing with me." Li Mei sighed and plastered medicinal leaves over her wounds, which had antiseptic properties and served as more effective bandages than torn cloth.

She accepted the Quest only after considering it for nearly ten minutes, glaring at the holoscreen and arguing with herself about the pros and cons. Giving in to the Meddling Intern's manipulation versus ignoring it and losing out on some nice rewards just for doing things she'd probably do on her own anyway.

The massive chunk of EXP reward won her over in the end.

After a short few moments of peaceful recovery Li Mei dispelled the protective barriers and retrieved her staff. She peeked around the corner more cautiously than before, whispering under her breath to settle her nerves. "You aren't subtle, Intern. Ambush, stealth, traps... Faust gave me a book on medicine and poisons too. If you want me to be an assassin so badly, at least make me the cool ninja kind. Alright? If I don't get some sort of awesome shadow teleportation technique, I'm going to be very displeased."

Seeing no other enemies in the hallway, Li Mei inched forward toward the corpse the Rakes were snacking on. She only needed a quick glance at the map to find Lab 3, and was glad to see it wasn't too far away. 'Someone's trapped and needs help? If she's not injured too badly she can help me get out of this place once I patch her up. And even if she can't fight she'll probably have some useful information! Something bad happened here and going in blind could get me killed. Helping that person and getting info should take priority.'

The only thing on the researcher's mangled body that could be of any use was a Class-C Keycard. Li Mei sighed and stashed it away just in case. 'Maybe it'll help somewhere... I should search the rooms for supplies on my way to help that person. As a research facility, surely there's useful equipment or chemicals lying around?'

With that vague plan in mind, Li Mei tightened her grip on the metal staff and started slinking her way toward Lab 3.

Winding back the clock three hours...

"Do you know what this is about?" Louis whispered under his breath, leaning close enough to Hannah to make her feel a distinct level of discomfort. She tilted away under the pretense of resting her chin on her hand.

"It's probably just another one of Agilo's surprise reviews," Hannah sighed, glancing around the meeting room. None of the large monitors lining the walls were turned on, the usual data charts and infographs conspicuously absent.

The crowded room seemed subdued, many researchers whispering under their breath and looking around nervously. Agilo was famous for his bad temper and surprise reviews were a chance to throw his weight around while humiliating his poor subordinates. No one wanted to be called out to report on their progress.

Everyone turned as one when the door burst open, but it was just a very disheveled Craig arriving late. Opening the door allowed the noise from the halls to infiltrate the soundproofed meeting room, a looping broadcast commanding all research team leaders to report to the D2 Meeting Room.

"Oh, thanks to every god that ever spat upon this great planet!" Craig exhaled a shaky breath, dropping into a chair like a lead weight.

Duncan passed him a cup of water from the cooler in the corner, a cheeky grin on his bearded face. "Agilo would have flayed you alive if you showed up late again, eh?"

"Flayed me, salted me, roasted me over a spit, and eaten me whole!" Craig drained the drink in one shot, crumpling the paper cup in his fist. "I sent in my transfer request to Sector 5, here's hoping it goes through fast. It won't have as many resources or as high a salary, but..."

"But you'd rather be cleaning toilets than dealing with Agilo, I know."

"Do I say that a lot?"

"Every day."

"It's still true."

"He's only cruel to people who don't live up to their potential," Louis sniffed, aiming a derisive glare at Craig. "Team leaders who are always late and never shower, for instance?"

"Unlike some people who only know how to hide behind their magitech and impractical theories, my particular area of research requires actual expertise and skillful handling of specimens. I have better things to do with my time than-"

"Bathe?"

"What is with your fascination with my personal hygiene?"

"You're inflicting your personal hygiene on all of us. Or lack thereof, rather..."

The door opened again, and even the bickering researchers fell silent. Adalrich Agilo staggered his way into the room, forcing a few people to hurry out of his way before he half-collapsed against the long table dominating much of the space.

He looked in even worse a state than Craig, torn clothes splattered with mud and flecks of gore, nursing a left arm that twisted at a strange angle. Dark bloodshot eyes scanned each and every panicked face before he spoke. "Who was it?"

Their superior was always punctual, composed, aloof. He was like a monolith towering above them, casting a long dark shadow with his keen intellect and levels of talent and wealth they could only dream of. Seeing Adalrich Agilo in such a state threw the researchers into confusion.

"Who... What, sir?" Louis stammered, breaking the unbearable silence that had fallen over the room.

Agilo slammed his bloody right hand against the table, activating controls built into the table to turn on all the monitors and display surveillance of the entire estate. Soldiers marched across farm fields, houses burned to ash, and countless bodies littered the landscape.

Smoke choked the stars, billowing black clouds flickering with the remnants of ominous blood red flames. In the evacuation tunnels leading to and from the facility, a large unit of soldiers marched forward with determined purpose and powerful magitech weapons in hand. Security officers stationed in the tunnels were gunned down without mercy and left where they fell.

"I am asking which of you filthy scheming bastards caused the attack burning my estate to the ground!" Agilo yelled so hard their eardrums ached. Spit slapped Craig in the face, making him wince in disgust. But when Agilo's words sank in all the researchers felt cold sweat drip down their necks while they stared at the monitors in horror. Adalrich Agilo snarled, clenching his bloody hand into a fist. "Who's responsible for the sword over our necks? Who killed us all!?"

They were in a clandestine organization in a hidden location doing secret experiments not officially sanctioned by any country or world power. Only the team leaders even knew the location of the estate, much less how to breach the defensive arrays around the property. Being under attack could only mean they were sold out by a peer!

Everyone tensed. The compatriots sitting at their sides all became potential enemies, and even the finest minds in the sector were having difficulty adjusting to the sudden change.

"Craig, weren't you putting in for a transfer to Sector 5?" Hannah said softly, an accusatory tinge to her voice. Section 5 did experiments along a similar vein as their Sector 9 so they often competed for funding, projects, researchers, and more.

"A transfer, not a sell out! They would have sealed my memories of this sector's location, it's protocol!" Craig stood up from his chair, pointing a trembling finger toward Louis. "Louis is the one who's using project funding for-"

"Personal salary is not project funding, what I do with my salary is none of your business!" Louis slammed his hands against the table and gestured toward Duncan. "What about your friend there? How does his team always capture the best subjects to test on?! There's something shady going on with that hunting squad and I've been requesting an inquest-"

"Just because I have excellent subordinates you would try to pin this on me! You're so blinded by jealousy that you-"

Everyone started pointing fingers at everyone else, leveling accusations both frightening and mundane. No one saw who threw the first punch, but all it took was one. Their argument was the spark that set the meeting room tinderbox aflame. Chairs flew as researchers surged across the table to attack each other.

Louis picked up a shattered table leg and smashed it over Craig's head, only to stagger as Hannah hit him in the back.

Even Agilo got mixed up in the fracas, his mangled arm flapping as he struggled against a researcher whose hands were wreathed in flame. He screamed in pain and went down, trampled underfoot by brawlers. He didn't move again.

Someone threw a sphere of lightning that shorted out the lights overhead, but by then so many spells were flying around that no one even noticed. No one noticed the tendrils of violet mana stabbing into the walls, causing over a dozen hidden microphones and cameras to burst in an erratic pattern.

Silver flashed.

A short blade caught the light of various spells as gore splattered the walls, creating a hypnotic flashing rhythm. Selfish arguments were interrupted by pained screamed and cries for mercy that went ignored. Adalrich Agilo stood alone in a pile of bodies, blood dripping from the edge of an intricate dagger.

The door opened behind him and Sofie edged her way into the room, picking her way between puddles of blood. "Yuck. Boss, what the heck? This is so inelegant. Not your style at all."

"I had to make a scene for the cameras. Your task?" Faust peeled chunks of a special putty from his face, revealing an attractive scholarly visage that Oriole was completely unfamiliar with. He wiped the blade on the coat of a researcher before putting it away and dusting off his hands.

"All done! Security records regarding the kid have been wiped, including from the estate's staff records. There's no evidence the forest was equipped with surveillance in the first place, much less any remaining video of her. Aside from all the nasty hungry beasties living in the woods, she'll be nice and safe until we come back with Neil to retrieve the Forest Heart. By the way, she learns fast! Just the other day she-"

"Focus, Sofie. The others?"

Sofie sighed, a pout on her cute little face. "We initiated lockdown and made sure several Class-A Keycards were on security personnel in the evac tunnels. The enemy unit will be able to get in if they aren't total idiots - no promises there. Hans's virus opened all the holding cells in the entire facility as of... Five minutes ago? So uh. We should actually probably leave soon, Boss. I don't like those things. You're sure we can't just use Plan Kurt?"

"Explosives will be unnecessary. She'd be caught in the blast, and that's not the kind of challenge I want her facing just yet." Thinking of his clever, inquisitive disciple made Faust's thin lips twitched into the closest thing resembling a smile Sofie had ever seen.

She shivered in discomfort and said a silent prayer for little 44.